A Familiar Mirage
by kpop77
Summary: Ever since Obito and Rin were ripped away from him, Kakashi has been unwilling to truly form bonds. It's been decades; he's the Sixth Hokage and he's still alone in his self-imposed solitude—until he sees a ninja at the Kage Summit who eerily resembles Haku and wields Zabuza's sword. "What do you know about loss?" She hissed. "... Everything." He choked.
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: Naruto isn't mine!

* * *

 _Chapter 1_

* * *

Kakashi wasn't really fond of being Hokage, that much was for certain. Paperwork wasn't his thing, and sitting in an office all day most _definitely_ wasn't his thing either (although rereading the classic Icha Icha Tactics was always a plus).

Perhaps that's why the Kage Summit, which offered him a rare breath of fresh air outside of Konohagakure, felt like such a blessing. Of course, he didn't actually _hate_ being Hokage—he had chosen to take the mantle from Tsunade with his own resolve until he could safely pass it on to Naruto. He just found it, well, inconvenient.

Perhaps Kakashi could take a slight detour to a nice ramen shop on his way to Kirigakure. He was starving, after all, and—

"I can tell what you're thinking, Kakashi-san. We are not taking a detour—we're already five hours behind schedule as it is." Shikamaru said, raising an eyebrow at the Sixth Hokage.

Kakashi narrowed his good eye at him, tilting his head to one side. "It's Hokage-sama for you, kid. And jeez, if we're already five hours behind, why not make it six? I'm starving."

"You can eat when we get to the Kage Summit, Kakashi-san." Shikamaru sighed.

"Fine." Kakashi huffed as he turned heel, "but you're paying for it."

 _Kakashi-san…_ Shikamaru thought, _the food at the Kage Summit is being_ served _to you._

xxx

Kakashi always stopped by Haku and Zabuza's graves at the Great Naruto Bridge if he was in the vicinity. Whether the two former criminals' decomposing bodies lay under the grassy earth, Kakashi wasn't sure—Edo Tensei had brought their earthen bodies back from the grave… but had it returned them? This he always wondered, but he refused to deface the two graves to find out.

He could hear Shikamaru grunting and mumbling incoherently in annoyance, but chose to ignore it. ( _We could be just riding a boat straight to the Land of Waves, but you insist on going through the Land of Waves. You know this place is dangerous. Jeez, imagine if we didn't make it back in time because we were, oh I don't know, dead.)_ Instead, he quietly closed his eyes as he knelt before the tombs. He still felt chills when he remembered how Haku had thrown himself as a human shield to receive Kakashi's _raikiri_. There had been no hesitation in Haku's eyes as the boy crumpled—and just for a moment, it was Rin and not Haku who was impaled with Kakashi's arm.

But Kakashi wasn't only visiting these graves out of years-worth of remorse. No, he had also come because of the vast respect that he held for the duo. Zabuza hadn't been a cold serial-killer—he had been a man tired of bloodshed in the Land of Waves. A man who dreamed for a better future. A man who cared about his young protégé with all his heart. A man with ideals.

A man who Kakashi would have liked to have met in a quiet, peaceful place like a teashop. Not on the battlefield.

A man who Kakashi would have liked to have befriended.

And Haku… that young boy of the infamous Yuki Clan who had matured far too quickly. His almost religious devotion to Zabuza had seem eerie at first, and Kakashi wondered if the boy had been brainwashed. Perhaps he had been, but Kakashi finally felt like he understood Haku's undying, obsessive devotion. Zabuza had been the only one to accept the young boy when everyone else shunned him.

That part of Haku reminded Kakashi of Naruto, somewhat.

Kakashi finally lifted himself up, dusting his knees as he gave on final look at the graves. His eyes trailed over to where Zabuza's sword Kubikiribocho had once been half-buried. Suigetsu, the bastard had stolen it… and now Zabuza's grave felt empty.

Kakashi's eyes widened. "Shikamaru, duck!"

He pushed himself towards his personal aid, toppling the both of them over. He shifted his gaze behind him, where a relatively tall person with a womanly figure stood. The newcomer had a mask that covered her whole face, and there were three kunais imbedded into the ground, just a few centimeters from where the mass of Kakashi-and-Shikamaru-and-a-tangle-of-limbs lay.

While this newcomer held three kunais in one pale hand, she emitted no killing intent. Kakashi squinted at the forehead protector on her forehead—the emblem of the Kiri. On her back was a sword wrapped in bandages, in the likeliness off how Kisame bounded the Samehada.

"What are you doing at this grave, Hokage?" The newcomer—a woman, judging by her voice and stature—challenged, pointing her kunais at Kakashi and Shikamaru.

Kakashi could tell that Shikamaru was going to attempt his shadow-binding jutsu—he silently raised a hand for Shikamaru to stand down. Shikamaru looked stunned.

Kakashi conscientiously touched his cap that had the word _fire_ embroidered onto it. "I've come to pay my respects."

"That's all?" The woman asked, a hint of suspicion in her voice as she took a step back.

Kakashi nodded. "Nothing more, nothing less."

At that, the woman turned and put down something in front of the side-by-side graves. Before Kakashi even had time to process what was going on, she disappeared.

Shikamaru untangled himself from the Sixth Hokage, rubbing at his sore neck. "What was that for, Kakashi-san?"

Kakashi wasn't listening—he was too busy staring at what the female ninja had left at the graves.

A bouquet of white flowers.

xxx

The Mizukage kneaded her hands as she glanced at the one empty seat at the table. The Kazekage, Gaara, had his arms folded across his chest with closed eyes. The Raikage and the Tsuchikage, on the other hand, looked like they were about to explode.

"That damn brat." The Tsuchikage snapped through gritted teeth. "It's been thirty minutes since the Kage Summit was suppose to begin. No fucking respect."

"He's actually thirty-three minutes and twenty-seven seconds late. Oh, make that twenty-eight." Gaara spoke up, opening his eyes ever so slightly.

"That's even worse!" The Tsuchikage yelled in outrage.

"Calm yourself, Tsuchikage-sama," the Mizukage spoke up calmly. "The new Hokage has always been prone to being tardy, but he never fails to show up in the end. He will come soon."

Gaara turned to one of his sensors. "Alert us when you feel his chakra."

The sensor ninja bowed. "Yes, Kazekage-sama."

"I guess a little small talk while waiting for the Hokage's late ass won't hurt." The Raikage shrugged, as he folded his muscular arms in front of his chest. "I see you've gotten a new member in your company, Kazekage boy."

All eyes fixed onto a girl with dark hair and rather ill-matching thick glasses standing behind Gaara at his right. She looked stunned that the Raikage had mentioned her, but with an encouraging look from Gaara, cleared her throat. "My name is Hoki Shijima—I was recently given the honor to join the Kazekage-sama's guard."

"Say, girl, do you wear those glasses for fashion?" The Raikage gruffly asked.

Shijima looked mildly uncomfortable. "Ah, no, I wear them because of my… eyes."

"Consider contacts, they'll make your pretty face shine." The Raikage suggested in the same gruff, but slightly teasing voice. Shijima blushed faintly.

Gaara sighed in exasperation, before turning to the amused Mizukage. "Is your guard still empty of one spot, Mizukage-sama?"

The old Tsuchikage tilted his head. "It's about time she stopped mourning for a man who's already in his grave."

The Mizukage let out a forced smile, clearly displeased with the Tsuchikage's lack of tact. "Ao's absence is still very painful for the Kirigakure. However, I have indeed replaced Ao's place with a new ninja."

"Oh? And how come she isn't here with you?" The Tsuchikage asked.

xxx

Kakashi did his best to stroll into the meeting room as nonchalantly as possible. He was really trying hard to play it off cool, avoiding the angry and annoyed gazes of the other Kages as he walked to his seat in long strides. He had always been thick-skinned about being late back when he trained Team 7—it wasn't too hard doing the same with the other Kages.

Except for the fact that each one, save Gaara, was emitting killing intent. The Mizukage was the first to speak in a calm, yet austere manner. "I see you've finally arrived, Hokage-sama. Perhaps you'd like to enlighten us on why you are almost two hours late to the Kage Summit."

"Ah, well, I sort of took a detour." Kakashi laughed, before looking down a little sadly. _A detour, to pay my respects._

The Tsuchikage rolled his eyes at the Hokage in disapproval. "Even the slug-woman was serious when it came to duties. Sometimes I wonder what she was thinking to choose you as her successor."

"Well, I agree with you on that one." Kakashi said jokingly, smiling under his mask. Perhaps he should have reacted a little more angrily, or a little more authoritatively to assert that he was equal to all the other Kages. Maybe he ended up looking like a little wuss. But his smile was in fact half-genuine, with no intention to act in an inflammatory manner that would end up pissing the other Kages off even more.

The Tsuchikage merely clucked his tongue. The Mizukage cleared her throat. "Well, time to get to business. A few months ago, we got reports in areas around the Land of Water regarding bandit attacks. While I believe that these bandits may have originated in the Land of Waves, it seems as if the attacks weren't only limited to the Kiri."

That was Kakashi's que to speak up. "Yes. Shikamaru here, and a few of my other jonin ninjas, also tracked several attacks around the Land of Fire that seemed to have been launched by those… bandits."

"They seem to be progressively making their way outwards from the Land of Waves." Kakashi continued, motioning to Shikamaru. The young man walked towards the Kage's table and unrolled a map dotted with bright red markings. "Shikamaru has managed to mark all of the attacks so far on this map, and create a probable correlation between these attacks. If you will, Shikamaru."

Shikamaru cleared his throat once, his usually apathetic eyes bright with concentration. "This group of bandits, who call themselves the Nameless, seem to be composed of missing-nin. We're not sure from where, but—"

"They're mostly from the Kiri, Konoha, and Suna." A soft, almost silky voice cut in at the doorway.

Shikamaru furrowed his brows in annoyance as he turned towards the source of the sound. If anything, he extremely disliked being cut off half-way through his sentences. It was okay when Temari did it—whenever she cut him off, it only mildly annoyed him in a sort of endearing way.

He squinted at the relatively tall woman. Her face was beautiful, alright—especially those large, dark brown doe eyes that looked so innocent. Her dark hair was up in a high pony tail, and she reeked of several different chakras that he couldn't differentiate which one belonged to her.

That was when he noticed a great sword strapped to her back. He turned to where Kakashi was sitting, his mouth agape as he pointed at the woman.

Kakashi was just as shocked as Shikamaru was, maybe even more, but not because he recognized this woman as the same person who had attacked him back at the Land of Waves.

"… Haku?" Kakashi whispered in disbelief.

A/N: Wow, i havent been to this site in a decade. this is actually a new acc, i forgot my old one sooooo... and i kinda forgot about this acc... but bless naruto for reigniting my writing spirit. i hope you enjoyed, and hope it wasn't too badly written... if anything i hate bad writing and what i hate worse are mary sues and horrible character development. We've barely seen our new "original character" BUT I hope I've laid out enough foundation for how Kakashi feels about the deadly Zabuza-Haku duo... haha... Everything has a reason! But I hope this wasnt too shabby ;-;


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto. If I did, Kakashi would get to feel emotional peace instead of quietly suffering on his own.

* * *

 _Chapter 2_

* * *

"… Haku?"

The resemblance sent Kakashi chills up his spine. This woman standing before him looked so eerily like Zabuza's protégé. It took a moment for Kakashi to realize the slight differences between the two. The woman's face was slimmer, her lips were fuller, and her eyes most certainly lacked the spark in Haku's eyes.

Her dark brown eyes resembled that of an innocent doe's, but they had none of Haku's pureness.

The woman tilted her head to the side ever so slightly, her eyes widening in just a fraction of a second. Times like this, Kakashi wished he still had his sharingan to read her eye patterns, analyze what she might be thinking.

Without a word, the woman walked towards the Mizukage and settled next to Chojuro, who's gaze was nervously flitting around the room. An unsettling quiet spread in the summit room, and Kakashi didn't want to be the one to break it.

"Mizukage-sama, you _know_ this person?" Shikamaru sputtered in disbelief, pointing at the woman with a trembling finger.

"If I didn't know her, I wouldn't have chosen her to be in my personal guard." The Mizukage said, amused as she looked at the sputtering, red-faced Shikamaru. "And may I know why you're still pointing at my dearest Shizuka so rudely?"

It was Kakashi who spoke up. He had both his eyes open, staring at the woman behind the Mizukage intently. "She attacked us at the Land of Waves."

"She did?" The Mizukage looked unfazed, but displeased. "Interesting. Shizuka, is what they say true?"

The woman—Shizuka—paused for a moment. "… Yes."

Shizuka's voice was tart, and Kakashi could feel the frustration slowly penting up inside her. The Mizukage's other aid, Chojuro, must have noticed it too, because he quickly broke in before the Mizukage said another word. "Shizuka-san was onto something earlier! About the bandits! I think she had valuable information to share!"

Chojuro's voice came out like a wobbly squeak, and a blush spread across his cheeks.

The frustration in the air thinned. The Mizukage shot Shizuka a pointed look, before sighing. "My apologies, Hokage. She can be very… unpredictable, sometimes."

"No worries." Kakashi slowly said, keeping his eyes on Shizuka. "Thankfully, I'm still in one piece."

Gaara broke through the uncomfortable silence. "About those bandits consisting of missing-nin from the Kiri, Konoha, and Suna… where did you manage to get this information?"

The Mizukage answered for her. "Shizuka joined these bandits per my request to act as a mole. She compiled a list of the bandits' members—and the majority of them seem to be from the Kiri. Three from the Konoha. One powerful one from the Suna and his underlings."

Shikamaru quickly shook the dumbstruck expression off his face, before gritting his teeth. He couldn't act like an idiot—he had come here as an informant. He had priorities to take care of first, and that woman standing behind the Mizukage came later. He cleared his throat again. "Continuing on about the attack patterns—these bandits start by attacking villages that provide supplies and serve as important bases for hidden villages. It seems they commence attacks on hidden villages by closing in after suffocating them of resources. At least, that's what it seems like their plan is for Konoha. They already attempted to do this for the Land of Water, but it they obviously failed to take over the Kirigakure."

The facial expressions of the Tsuchikage, Raikage, and Kazekage hardened. The Tsuchikage had his arms crossed, his small frame leaning back into his tall seat. The Raikage and Gaara exchanged looks.

"I ask you all to uphold my request." The Mizukage started gravely. "These attacks, these patterns that Shikamaru has managed to figure out makes it clear that these bandits do not plan on stopping at the Land of Fire and the Land of Water. They will pose a threat to all of our countries—perhaps not on the scale that Akatsuki, Orochimaru, and Obito Uchiha did. But these people are targeting hundreds of civilians… something that we must stop."

"I agree." Gaara said quietly. "If they have a few members from the Suna, they surely will not stop with attacking only these two lands. I have my people to protect—not just Sunagakure, but those of my country."

The Raikage turned to the Mizukage. "I agree that these bandits will definitely be a problem. _However_ , what is your proposition to combat this problem?"

"I propose creating a team," the Mizukage smiled, "consisting of capable ninjas who can successfully catch these bandits out and annihilate them at their core."

xxx

Kakashi sat quietly in the waiting room, wringing his hands. He had been too stunned to recognize her at the summit at first—in fact, she had emitted a strange amalgamation of different chakras when she entered the summit room. It took a few seconds for Kakashi to differentiate her distinct chakra—the same chakra he had felt at the two graves.

It couldn't be a coincidence that she was the splitting image of Haku _and_ present at Haku and Zabuza's graves. She had even left white flowers of mourning.

And that large sword she had strapped to her back, wrapped in bandages from hilt to tip—it had a sinister aura to it, reminiscent of Zabuza's Kubikiribocho.

He hummed to himself, drumming his fingers on his knees. It helped him think.

"Cute tune."

Kakashi raised an eyebrow, before turning to the open door. "An old song that a student of mine was very fond of. I assume you're already ready to go, Shizuka-san?"

Shizuka leaned against the doorframe, her arms crossed. She was dressed head to toe in Kirigakure ANBU gear—the standard black uniform, armor pads, and a mask in her hand. She had the mask's face turned away from him, so he couldn't quite tell which animal it was—after all, at the graves she was wearing a plain white one. She didn't have her sword with her. "No. The Mizukage sent me to apologize to you for my actions at the Land of Waves. She didn't forget to mention that I had to look clean and sincere."

"Well, at least you've succeeded in one of those." Kakashi chuckled. "I suppose you won't tell me why you were there?"

"… Recon mission. I was on my way back after a two-week long assignment." Shizuka replied curtly. Her eyes were watching him warily, like that of a careful viper. "Why did you take the time to pass through the Land of Waves, instead of riding a boat around it?"

Kakashi didn't exactly know how to respond—if he said his intentions truthfully (that he respected Zabuza and Haku immensely out of all the enemies he encountered), it could become problematic. Mourning a Kirigakure missing-nin and a member of the dangerous Yuki Clan would probably not be received too well by an ANBU member.

So, like always, he decided to go around it. "Memories. The bridge that you attacked me at is called the Great Naruto Bridge, you know? Brings me back to… different times."

Shizuka looked unconvinced, her mouth slightly ajar as she looked at him blankly. Kakashi took this as his chance to take the lead.

"So, Shizuka-san, why did you attack me when you saw me there? I'd rather know the reason, since I'm assuming you have no heart to apologize sincerely."

The woman's gaze was still blank. She took in a deep breath, before taking the liberty to walk into the room and sit opposite of Kakashi. The door creaked shut behind her, and the tension between Kakashi and Shizuka snapped. "I just came to apologize for my actions, Hokage. That's the best I can offer. But I have one request."

Kakashi let out a hoarse laugh that scratched at his throat. "You know; I think as the one apologizing you're not in any position to make requests."

Shizuka rolled her eyes at him. "I'm not asking you for money, or any type of bribe for that matter. I want to be dispatched _alone_ to the Land of Waves. You can take the other ninjas that the other Kages offered with you to Konoha, but I want to work alone."

Kakashi studied her face carefully—her facial expressions barely changed and her body was completely still on the chair opposite of him. It was as if her muscles were composed of rigid lead, inhibiting even a twitch of movement in her whole body. Nothing in her body language gave her away, and he could tell she wasn't letting her emotions slip like last time in the summit room. Her frustration had been palpable at the time—now, he couldn't detect anything.

But it was her eyes—those large, pretty eyes that were simply flat and unfeeling and _dead_. "Why is that?"

"I work best alone." Shizuka replied curtly.

"And why are you telling me this?"

Shizuka chuckled, before throwing Kakashi a challenging look. "You're Hatake Kakashi, the finest child soldier Konoha had ever produced and one of its strongest ANBU members before you left the organization. You should know why, better than anyone. And plus, there's no harm in you allowing a ninja of a different hidden village to go on a more dangerous mission."

"You're also the one in charge since the team's operating in Konoha. I could ask the Mizukage, but she wouldn't allow it." Shizuka continued, her unwavering gaze studying Kakashi carefully.

Kakashi had to think.

xxx

Kakashi cursed under his breath in his bed. He was lying in a room that had been provided by the Kirigakure ninjas in their main building. It was an ugly building composed of grey blocks of cement plastered together, but the room inside was still nice. But even the comfortable interior couldn't fix his turbulent mood.

That Shizuka had read him like an open book. She wasn't just an arrogant, over-confident ninja who wanted to take the mission into her own hands just for show. She legitimately did not want to work with people—and she knew Kakashi would relate.

Because he knew what it meant to erase his emotions and bury his conscience in the battlefield, ever since he was only a teenager.

So he _did_ know why, better than anyone. And Shizuka had seen through it.

This Shizuka woman probably had overwhelming experiences in action and in the battlefield. But he still didn't know the first thing about her, except for her name, her high rank, and less-than-savory personality.

A personality that reminded him quite of his own.

Kakashi sat up in his bed, looking out the tiny window. He observed the full moon, shining luminously without even a single cloud obstructing it in the dark night sky.

"What should I do, Obito?" Kakashi murmured.

A/N: Thank you so much for following and favoriting and reviewing :)) I appreciate all the feedback I can get! We'll get to see who's in this special-ops team tomorrow! But ofc, we already know the Mizukage wants Shizuka on it. I hope you enjoyeddddd


	3. Chapter 3

Disclaimer: Nope, dont own naruto

A/N: Thank you so much for the reviews and the follows, favorites and generally for reading! i welcome any feedback (constructive criticism, no blatant hate speech pls ;-;)

* * *

 _Chapter 3_

* * *

The morning sun pooled into Kakashi's room through the small window in rays of light gold. It dappled Kakashi's Hokage robes and hat that he had hanged on the door the night before. The sunlight was warm and bright, but Kakashi didn't welcome the sun.

He wished that it was eternally night, with the moon bathing Kakashi in cool light as he sat deep in thought.

Kakashi hadn't gotten any sleep last night. He looked into the mirror on the gray wall, and sighed as he traced his dark circles—they were like dark purple splotches on his pale face. Highly noticeable, and not at all flattering.

"Maybe I should pull my mask up until just under my eyes today." Kakashi mumbled to himself, his fingers unconsciously tracing the long, vertical scar that started above his eye and extended to his cheek.

His third permanent scar. The first had been his father's suicide, cutting deep into his heart. The second had been Obito's presumed death, which festered and tormented Kakashi.

A few months ago, Tsunade had offered to erase his scar that marred his face, but Kakashi had declined. It served as a reminder—a twisted memento of his past that Kakashi couldn't bear to live without.

Kakashi sighed before getting ready to change into fresh clothes—he had a long journey ahead of him, and he couldn't afford to let irritation and sleep depravation get to him now.

xxx

Kakashi had to fight back an amused chuckle as he observed Shikamaru's blatantly disgruntled facial expression at the Kirigakure gate.

 _"I've already sent a telegram for two of my jonin to head over to Konoha." The Tsuchikage said to Kakashi, once the Kage Summit officially dispersed._

 _"B will be the only ninja that I'll dispatch." The Raikage said stiffly. "He is my strongest man—he'll fill the skill gap of two jonin easily."_

 _The Tsuchikage tsked at the Raikage's barely disguised slight._

 _Gaara smiled at Kakashi wryly. "I would dispatch Shijima, but she has to help me back at Sunagakure with some work. I'll send in Kankuro—he'll be very happy to be able to see Temari again."_

 _"The Kiri will also only send one—I would send Chojuro with you, but he needs to stay here, for defensive purposes." The Mizukage smiled apologetically. "I'll send in…"_

"Shizuka-san, Shikamaru, you're both bright and early today." Kakashi crinkled his scar-less eye into an attempt at a smile.

Shikamaru met his gaze with an annoyed glare, while Shizuka merely ignored Kakashi. Perhaps Kakashi should have brought Kiba (and that giant dog Akamaru) or Shizune along this time—at the time, he hadn't deemed it necessary for this Kage Summit. Now, Kakashi really wished he had someone to lighten up the dark mood at least a little.

"You're a whole twenty minutes late," Shikamaru started, narrowing his eyes, "and you're letting a woman who obviously seems like a loose cannon travel with us. I think 'bright' isn't the right word for it."

Kakashi sighed, before turning to Shizuka who barely looked affected. "We're going to have to work together as a team. I'm not letting you two butt heads every five minutes."

Shizuka's eyes sharpened as she threw Kakashi a questioning look.

Kakashi firmly frowned back.

Attempting to shoulder the burden of wiping out an entire group of dangerous missing-nin was definitely _not_ normal. Even the haughtiest, most arrogant ninja wouldn't offer him or herself to take up the task. Trying to accomplish something unfeasible with a risk as high as death could only mean one thing—she either loved the Kiri with all her mind and soul, or killing was the only life she knew. Kakashi wasn't about to let another person fall into an endless downward spiral of cold-blooded killing and emotional degradation. Maybe he should have decided to let Shizuka go solo on this mission—after all, she had proved to be dangerous, disrespectful, and not at all trustworthy. It wouldn't exactly be a loss to Konoha, anyway.

But the Mizukage had still recommended her, and that could only mean that underneath her anti-social, cold demeanor was valuable talent and skill.

Perhaps it wasn't Kakashi's place to judge Shizuka, since he barely even kept himself together. But her attitude reminded him too much of his old self back in Team Minato and the ANBU. She had even related to his gruesome to reason with him, and that was definitely a red flag.

"I know that we started off on the wrong foot." Kakashi looked at Shizuka pointedly. "But as ninjas, both of you should focus on what's best for the future of the elemental nations—and that's working as a team cohesively to take those bandits down."

Shizuka bit her lower lip until it turned white, before shifting her gaze downwards in defeat.

"Fine. But if she ever tries to slit your throat, I'm not using my Kagemane no Jutsu to stop her and help your dumb ass." Shikamaru grumbled.

"Wonderful. Let's head on to the boat, shall we?" Kakashi said, slathering his voice with over-done cheer.

xxx

Shizuka still wondered why the Mizukage hadn't sent Chojuro to Konoha instead of her. Chojuro was friendly, willing, hard-working, and surprisingly well-collected when he put his mind to it. He would mesh together well with this so-called team and actually succeed in getting shit done.

In fact, the Mizukage could have sent one of their many medical ninjas out to help the team on the field.

She glanced back at the two ninjas from Konoha, who were sitting behind her on the wooden ferry. That man with a pineapple-head—Shikamaru—was mumbling to himself as he read through something on a scroll. The Hokage was reading a… book? No, that wasn't a book, that was straight-up porn.

Apparently her slightly disgusted look had been a bit too prickly, because Kakashi glanced up from whatever grossly sexual content was on those pages to meet her gaze squarely. One second. Two seconds. Three seconds.

No reaction. No panic, no surprise, no embarrassment. Nothing changed in Hateke Kakashi's facial expression.

The man didn't even seem concerned in the slightest that he had been caught reading explicit content in a more-or-less public space.

"Is there something on my face, Shizuka-san?" Kakashi drawled, smiling good-naturedly.

Shizuka narrowed her eyes at his overly friendly demeanor. Perhaps this man wanted to integrate her into the team—after all, he voiced that he wanted her stationed in Konoha with whatever other ninjas the other Kage sent. But something about his friendliness was unnatural—it felt too fake.

"You're reading porn." Shizuka stated in a matter-of-fact manner. "How can I not stare and gawk?"

"A man has his needs, and the Icha Icha Tactics happens to be a legendary classic." Kakashi shrugged nonchalantly. So nonchalantly that it almost seemed normal to read porn in public. "Isn't that right, Shikamaru?"

"Nope." Pineapple-head mumbled, still focused intently on the scroll of thin paper. "It's just you."

Kakashi didn't seem fazed in the slightest. The ferryman, who had been quietly paddling at the end of the long, wooden boat, looked mildly uncomfortable.

"So you're a thirty-something year-old man who sexes his life up through porn." Shizuka deadpanned, observing Kakashi for a reaction. "Most impressive."

Her provocation elicited absolutely nothing in Kakashi, not even a shift in mood.

The man's personality was duller than his grey hair.

She shouldn't have assumed that he would understand her—she had heard tales of his ruthlessness in the field. She had heard tales of his unmatched prowess and career as a jonin genius. And when she talked to him alone, face to face, she believed he was a kindred soul—a cold machine that fueled on spilling blood.

Obviously, she had been mistaken. _He hasn't been broken._ Shizuka thought bitterly, as the ferry began passing the Land of Waves.

Her thoughts were cut short by a choked gag behind her.

Shizuka swiftly turned, and cursed under her breath. The ferryman's eyes were glazed over as he began to tip off the edge of the boat with a kunai impaled in his sagging neck.

She wasn't even half-way to Konoha yet, and shit was already going down.

xxx

The kunai had been thrown from somewhere on the coast-line of the Land of Waves. Kakashi was sure of it—he's managed to make out the direction of the black dagger before the ferryman had plunged into the water. But for a kunai to travel that far… that was near impossible. There had to be another boat, or another vessel on the water that Kakashi wasn't able to detect or see.

"Let me ask you this, Hatake Kakashi and Pineapple head," Shizuka said, standing up in the boat. "Are you well-versed in water release?"

"Are you well-versed in manners?" Shikamaru jabbed angrily.

"Answer the question." Shizuka said coldly, as she began to unwrap the bandages from the hilt of her sword.

"I am." Kakashi supplied.

"… That should be sufficient. Just try not to – "

The surface rippled in waves, and two dark figures sprung up from the water. Kakashi's eyes widened as he took in their characteristics—heavy armor, gas masks, metal gauntlets and Kirigakure forehead protectors.

The clang of metal clashing together resounded in the open air.

"Die." Shizuka finished, smiling wryly. "It's been a while, Demon Brothers. I see old habits die hard."

Gozu and Meizu snarled, their gauntlets rubbing up against the sharp blade of Shizuka's great sword. The tension between the three ninjas was almost palpable.

"Shizuka-san, it's been a while since you've walked out on us." Gozu said calmly.

"Don't think we'll let you go easily, you fucking bitch." Meizu snarled, before glancing at Kakashi with eyes full of rage. "I'll be taking your and Hatake Kakashi's heads as war trophies."

Kakashi remembered these two troublesome missing-nin from the Kirigakure—he also remembered how he had tied them up to a tree to be taken custody. Apparently the officials hadn't succeeded in imprisoning them. "I wouldn't be so sure about that. After all, I remember getting rid of you… quite easily."

Gozu cackled. "You have no sharingan, copy-ninja. We underestimated you and your genius student at the time, Hatake Kakashi, we'll admit that. But don't underestimate us either—seven years is a long, long time."

"I beg to differ, Gozu, Meizu." Shizuka growled as her grip on her sword tightened. "I'll be lopping both of your heads off today."

The brothers laughed—and instantly spread apart by a width of at least three meters on either side of Shizuka, before skidding to a stop on the water surface. Shizuka knew their moves—she swung Kubikiribocho without hesitation through the chain. Coordinated attacking was the brothers' forte—she had to immobilize them first.

Gozu laughed before dissolving into a mass of water, and Shizuka's eyes widened in realization—he'd managed to replace himself with a water clone in that fraction of a second. That could only mean that Gozu was going to either attack her from behind while she was keeping Meizu stuck, or…

"Shizuka-san, are you really a Kiri ANBU?" Gozu asked in a japing tone, as he bound his end of the shuriken chain around the Pineapple-head in mere milliseconds.

He'd dove under the boat to get to that Pineapple-head, the sneaky bastard. To make it worse, he was standing on the water around a meter away from the boat. If Shizuka released her sword to throw it and hopefully slice Gozu into two, Meizu would simply tug and that Pineapple-head would be shredded into pieces.

She could work with that. One less hindrance.

The moment she lifted Kubikiribocho, she expected Pineapple-head to erupt into a grotesque mix of miced flesh, bone, and guts. But neither brother tugged.

"My specialty is shadow binding jutsu—and it seems like you two brothers won't be able to move for a full… five minutes." Pineapple-head smirked, while loosening himself from the shuriken chain.

Shizuka was almost impressed, until Meizu shifted into falling water.

"I know you're a Kagemane no Jutsu user, kid. Who wouldn't know the genius strategist from Konoha?" Meizu's voice gurgled from around the boat. "That's why I was extra careful when I saw you do your weird hand signs, unlike Gozu who couldn't see."

 _Where are you, Meizu…_ Shizuka eyed the water, waiting for the slightest change in the surface.

"Suiton: Suigandan ( _Water Style: Water Fang Bullet_ )!" Meizu jumped up from the water at Shizuka's left.

"Suition: Mizu No Tatsumaki ( _Water Style: Water Tornado)_." A vortex of water surrounded Shizuka, blocking the water spheres firing from Meizu's mouth. She winced when one projectile managed to barely graze her shoulder before the vortex of water fully enveloped her body. If she had been careless, it would have definitely torn her the skin on her shoulder.

She jumped back, landing with her two feet on the water surface as Meizu jumped at her with his chakra-empowered poison gauntlet. Elongated sharp spikes made of water protruded from the knuckles of his gauntlet as he lunched again.

They kept fighting like that; his gauntlet clanging against Kubikiribocho in a dance of clashing metal. The melody was almost harmonious and never-ending, for whenever Meizu made so much as a dent in Kubikiribocho's blade, the sword automatically regenerated. Similarly, the water enshrouding Meizu's gauntlet served as both an offensive and defensive empowerment—the gauntlet remained unharmed.

Shizuka bit her lip—so Meizu had made some improvements. His beastly rage and sheer force of will had helped him achieve a much higher level of power than she had expected. She had to take this fight more seriously—Meizu wasn't a blunt headed idiot anymore. While he still lacked his brother's rationality and cunning, he knew how to fight with his brain now.

Kakashi was sitting by Shikamaru on the boat and watched as Shikamaru continued to sweat profusely. Shikamaru was almost at his limit, and Gozu was beginning to move his limbs little by little. He could attack Meizu with Chidori, but with all the water release jutsu that both Shizuka and Meizu were using, he could accidentally negate Shizuka's attacks instead.

He turned back to Shizuka, who was doing hand seals behind her back. He squinted to get a clear look—god damn, the sharingan would have been really useful in this situation—and watched as water began raining down on Meizu's head.

It did absolutely nothing—Meizu just looked disconcerted.

 _Was that a distraction technique…_ Kakashi thought, sighing.

"Kirigakure No Jutsu ( _Hidden Mist Jutsu_ )." Shizuka whispered. Thick, dense mist began emitting from beneath her feet at a rapid rate, completely covering the boat's surrounding area.

She didn't even hear Shikamaru's alarmed grunt.

"It's time to end this, Meizu." Shizuka said, her voice cutting through the fog like a sharp blade.

She took in a deep breath and sharpened her focus, flitting her eyes through the dense mist. No, Meizu wasn't at her right, or her left… He was directly in front of her. Shizuka smirked as she saw the dense mass of chakra charging straight at her— _one, two… now!_

She swung her blade without a moment's hesitation, and smiled widely when she heard that satisfying _shlock_.

Gozu screamed.

Shizuka picked up Meizu's head drifting on the water, and held it up high for her limited audience to see. "I told you I'd have both of your heads."

"Behind you!" Kakashi yelled.

Shizuka turned just in time to see Gozu swinging his spiked gauntlet into her chest, tears streaming down his face.

* * *

A/N: Woo… battle scenes are super tough to write. Making it all balance out is super hard too D: The jutsu that Shizuka uses to track Meizu is Water Style: Chakra Sensing Rain. I'm pretty sure it exists but it might be in the game. I hope you enjoyed this update—I wanted to make progress! Why does Shizuka say "old habits die hard" to the brothers? Because the brothers used that as an ambush technique in the anime! and as kiri missing nins, they probably abused it a lot :D

Gozu and Meizu were the "Demon Brothers" under Zabuza—in the anime they got fucked by Kakashi real quick, but that was also 7 years ago soooo I decided to fiddle with the idea a bit.


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